Keyword search: Type in any keyword to find a particular program, or related
programs. EXAMPLE: a search for the keyword “beach” leads to any
program with “beach” in the title, organization name, description, or
category.

Browse all programs listed in the
database: Click on the Search by ORGANIZATION
to view a menu of organizations that are monitoring. Or, click Search by Program Name to view a menu of all
programs by name. Some organizations are monitoring
only one thing (e.g. The Lobster Conservancy), while others monitor many
things (e.g. Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection).

Watershed or Category search:
To view a sample of monitoring programs in a particular watershed (e.g.
Kennebec, Coastal), or of
a particular type (e.g. birds, freshwater, etc.), select from those
menus under the Watershed and Category searches.

Search results produce a list of monitoring programs that match
the search criteria. Results include Program Name, Sponsoring Organization, Program
website, Data URL, Category, Watershed, and a brief description (for
most programs).

More information about a particular monitoring program can be found
by clicking on the link to the program, if there is one.

State and Federal Agencies (such as Maine Dept. of Environmental
Protection, ME Dept. of Marine Resources, US Geological Survey, and
NOAA) are mandated to monitor many environmental factors state- and
nation-wide, or do so as part of their mission to protect environmental
health. Many of the national monitoring programs have stations in Maine,
and are included in MEMAP. These programs are funded by tax dollars, and
it is your democratic right to access results.

Maine also has a large number of monitoring initiatives sponsored by
non-profit and grassroots stewardship groups that are invested in
tracking the health of particular ecosystems or species such as a local
river, vernal pools, butterflies or invasive plants. Many of these
involve citizen volunteers, and many have educational components to
their monitoring.

The motive for monitoring is to generate a scientific understanding of
how environmental factors are changing. Documenting change
systematically can provide clues about how ecosystems work, and what
causes them to change. Monitoring provides evidence necessary to make
well-informed policy and stewardship decisions.

What environmental factors are monitored in Maine, and
who is monitoring them?

Are the data that are generated by monitoring available publicly, and
if so, where can data be found?

What does scientifically gathered evidence say about changes in
Maine’s environment?

The MEMAP Directory is designed to help students, teachers,
policymakers, researchers, and citizen stewards draw from original data
for evidence when it comes to studying environmental change in Maine.

Knowing where to find and how to use scientifically gathered data is a
critical skill for making policy and stewardship decisions. A goal of
MEMAP is to facilitate access to data by everyone.

Examining and monitoring data is a great way to learn about environmental
issues and about science.

Each program listing includes the date the information for that record
was last updated. If you notice information that is out of date, please
contact Molly Schauffler (mschauff@maine.edu) with corrections or new
additions. Development of MEMAP Directory website is ongoing.